Yes / This editorial introduction to this special issue provides an overview and a conceptual framework of governance and economics of smart cities. We begin with a discussion of the background to smart cities and then it focuses on the key challenges for consideration in smart city economics. Here it is argued that there are four dimensions to smart city economics: the first is regarding the scale of global market for smart cities; the second issue concerns data to be used for smart city projects; the third concerns market competition and structure and the fourth concerns the impact on local economy. Likewise, smart city governance framework has to be considered a layered and multi-level concept focusing on issues of transparency and accountability to the citizens.

Published Article / In this paper an evaluation of smart socioeconomic, physical and environmental characteristics of Bloemfontein city of South Africa was done to understand the current scenario of the city and evolve perspective indicative planning guidelines for transforming the city into a smart city. The evaluation was done based on 74 smart indicators, and 30 factors under six characteristics, such as, smart economy, smart people, smart governance, smart mobility, smart environment and smart living. For this purpose, survey research methodology with analysis of primary and secondary data and review of the current Integrated Development Plan of the city was followed. The investigation of the various indicators revealed that although the city is lagging behind in most of the characteristics, yet provides ample opportunity to develop it as a smart city, if smart city concept and smart growth principles are employed in city development process.

Energy Management strategy for sustainable regional development has been selected as the topic of my research due to the fact that energy demand alongside with energy dependency have been continuously growing from a long term perspective. Sustainable development is defined by three imperatives – energy efficiency, ecology and security. Review of the current state and analysis of historical trends in Energetics at global and regional level are covered in this research. Results of the Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis introduce a set of implications and recommendations for Energy Management strategy in the Czech Republic.

This dissertation argues that the core of building smart cities is through the procurement and implementation of smart city technologies (SCTs) by either individual (i.e., smart city) or collaborative endeavors (i.e., smart governance). Given that urbanization problems (e.g., air pollution) usually spill over city boundaries, building smart cities as silos may not solve these problems. Therefore, utilizing smart governance in SCT procurement and implementation should be a better approach. Considering the potential benefits of smart governance, this dissertation addresses three overarching questions: (1) What is a smart city? (2) What is smart governance? and (3) Why do some cities choose to participate in smart governance while others do not? By developing a typology of smart governance, this dissertation categorizes three levels of smart governance based on cities' participation in cooperative procurement and implementation of SCTs. Data collected from the 2019 Smart Governance Survey confirm that the level of smart governance does vary among Texas cities. Applying transaction costs and institutional collective action (ICA) frameworks, the dissertation finds that public managers' perceptions on transaction costs and joint gains as well as cities' extant ICA mechanisms affect cities' participation in smart governance.

Initially, this thesis arose from an interest in technology and smart city as a concept and how this concept is used practically in urban planning. This thesis focuses on urban planning in four municipalities. Värmdö, Täby, Danderyd and Vallentuna municipality. This thesis analyses the concept of smart cities and praxis in relation to urban planning. Concepts and theories central to the study are processed and explored. In-depth interviews are conducted with planners to then analyse source material using grounded theory analysis with themes. This is done in detail to analyse what impact smart city as a concept has on practices and values regarding urbanplanning in municipalities. Different theoretical perspectives are also considered regarding the concept itself. The analysis demonstrates that implementing smart city as a concept has an impact on municipality organisation through smart governance, creates new urban planning goals as well, such as digitalizing the planning process, focusing on digital solutions and expanding fiber-networks. The results show that there are several driving factors behind the emergence of both smart governance and smart city initiatives, the most prevalent driving factor is the need to streamline communication and planning in a more competitive contemporary world where efficiency and pragmatism is premiered.

This paper examines the implementation of biodiversity in local policy in the cities of Melbourne and Stockholm. Using process tracing as methodology, the study examines the process from the time the process to develop a policy on climate adaptation is initiated, to the time it is adopted. The process is examined in order to determine if and how biodiversity is included in local climate adaptation policies. Particular attention is paid to citizen participation in local governance in the process examined in the light of the research and theories developed by Elinor Ostrom. The paper finds biodiversity to be included in the policy outlined in the policy document in Melbourne, and citizen participation in local governance may have been conducive to this result. In contrast, biodiversity is included but in a less pronounced manner in the climate adaptation policy in Stockholm, and there seems to be no citizen participation in the policy process examined. These results indicate that citizen participation in local governance could be a contributing factor to biodiversity being included in local climate adaptation policy. It is however not unequivocally determined that it is in fact a causal mechanism.

The aim of the thesis Development of Smart Cities in the region of Latin America applied on the case of Mexico City and Rio de Janeiro stands on their comparison provided according to application of six axes smart city concept. Both cities provide their individual approach in their formulation and implementation of smart city initiative. According to this comparison this paper will prove that even though that there is not yet a uniform smart city definition there are indicators according to which it is possible to form a general a framework to identify smart cities. This framework will be important to prove several things about smart cities. They will be necessary for the future growth of humanity as cities become more and more important. This will happen by allowing for better functioning of cities and better use of existing resources. These cities will start to operate for their citizens in ways that lessen the impact of the environment while allowing cities to grow across multiple sectors while improving quality of life among a city s residents. This implementation of ITC technologies will prove a rising tide that will lift the city s poor by empowering their economic lives by improving quality of life and giving better access to resources. The comparison of the two cities will also prove that Rio de Janeiro through its many smart initiatives is further along in its path to becoming a smart city than Mexico City. The difference between the two will also prove just how important smart cities are to the region s future. Mexico City s projects have not been as holistic as those taken in Brazil s largest city. Rio de Janeiro s implementation of projects like COR have transformed the city allowing it to become one of the smartest cities in the region and the world. The COR has implemented ITC technologies and initiatives that have transformed every sector of the six-axes approach model.